Yesterday (February 21st), the Appropriations Committee held a public hearing regarding the Human Services portion of the Governor’s Budget. A special thank you to six of our Association members who testified late into the night to urge the committee to support additional home and community-based Medicaid funding for sustainability, workforce and safety. 

 

Copies of the written testimony as submitted may be viewed below:

 

Tracy Wodatch, Pres/CEO, CT Association for Healthcare at Home

Coco Sellman, Co-Owner, All Pointe HomeCare and Board Chair

Chris Pankratz, CEO, Masters in Home Care and Chair of Govt Relations Committee

Ann Olson, Exec Director, YNHH Home Care and Member of Govt Relations Committee

Mario D’Aquila, COO/Co-owner Assisted Living Services, Inc. and Board Member

Lisa Dupuis, Exec Director, All About You! and Member of Govt Relations Committee

Kim Durand, Clinical Manager, Day Kimball Healthcare at Home, and Member of Govt Relations Committee

Source: NAHC, February 16, 2024

 

On Thursday, February 15, 11 Senate Republicans sent the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) a letter expressing concerns about the Medicaid Access rule its consequences. In the letter, the Senators write that they, “have significant concerns that the proposal could and will likely harm access for seniors and people with disabilities, particularly in rural regions of the country…”

 

The Senators also cite the lack of data to support the proposal, the challenges a national threshold would cause in a highly state-driven program, and the potential unintended consequences from redefining the direct care workforce.

 

The letter recommends that CMS:

The full letter is available online at here.

Source: Home Health Care News, February 13, 2024

 

At some point in their lives, most Americans will need some type of in-home care support. The issue is that — due to the caregiver shortage, the rising cost of care, Medicaid qualifications and a number of other factors — many of them won’t be able to afford it.

 

As a way around the more expensive and traditional at-home care, many seniors have been turning to alternative home-based care models that offer consumers flexibility and cost-effectiveness.

 

The rise of consumer-directed care and the use of family caregivers is one of those and is well-documented. However, there is a tension that exists between the demand for those alternative care models and the regulations from the federal government that could drastically affect them.

Rosalynn Carter, who died in November, about six months after the Carter family disclosed her dementia diagnosis, lived only a few days under hospice supervision, with her frail husband at her bedside.

 

Experts on end-of-life care say the Carters’ different paths show the range of an oft-misunderstood service. Those advocates commend the Carter family for demonstrating the realities of aging, dementia and death. They express hope that the attention spurs more Americans to seek out services intended to help patients and families in the latter stages of life.

Source: CMS, February 20, 2024

 

The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently clarified that hospice medical directors and administrators are always considered managing employees for Medicare provider enrollment purposes. You must report all current managing employees.

 

If you haven’t reported a medical director or administrator, report them now.

See the Medicare Program Integrity Manual: CY 2024 Home Health Prospective Payment System Updates MLN Matters Article for more information.

Source: NAHC, February 20, 2024

On Thursday, February 8, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released an updated version of the Medicaid and CHIP Telehealth Toolkit. The toolkit is a comprehensive piece of subregulatory guidance that clearly articulates the policies associated with delivering Medicaid services via telehealth. In the toolkit, CMS espouses broad flexibility and authority for states to establish telehealth delivery systems. According to CMS, federal approval is not required for telehealth services to use the same reimbursement rates and methodology as non-telehealth delivery. Revisions to payment methodology to account for telehealth costs would require CMS approval.

 

Additionally, the toolkit clarifies that the mandatory home health face-to-face visit may be done via telehealth. According to CMS, “A physician, nurse practitioner or clinical nurse specialist, a certified nurse midwife, a physician assistant, or attending acute or post-acute physician may perform the face-to-face encounter using telehealth…”

 

The full toolkit is online here. 

Source: Home Health Care News, February 16, 2024

 

Home health providers often make mistakes that leave money on the table at best, and at worst, lead to financial ruin. 

 

However, providers that learn to avoid these stumbling blocks will be better positioned to achieve longevity and financial stability.

 

In general, the home health consulting firm SimiTree has noticed an increase in the number of providers that have been struggling with things like unbilled claims, inaccurate primary payer selection and more, according to Lynn Labarta, vice president of post-acute revenue cycle management at SimiTree.